BREAKING: 'AIRSTRIKE on Syria' reports of fighter jets and missiles over Lebanon

[highplainsdem]

Source: Express

Lebanon residents have reported hearing unidentified jets towards Syria.

-snip-

There are reports that Syrian air defence has intercepted missiles.

There are also reports that US warships from the Mediterranean are reportedly launching tomahawk missiles into Syria.

Syrian state television has reportedly confirmed

-snip-

Read more: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/943275/Syria-airstrike-USA-explosions-Lebanon-Assad-fighter-jets-T4-Tiyas-news-latest/

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Editing a third time -- the BBC is now reporting that Syria state media is reporting air strikes on a military airport:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43694588



Editing to add that a WSJ reporter is tweeting that Pentagon officials are denying that an attack in underway:

Link to tweet

Editing again to add another tweet, from a CNN WH correspondent, saying the reports of Tomahawk missiles striking Syria are not true:

Link to tweet

I'm starting to see speculation on Twitter that this might be an Israeli strike.




Some earlier tweets:

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Scurrilous]

1. No worries...

Jared's on it!

[Iliyah]

2. This administration don't know what the fuck they are doing,

bless the citizens of Syria.

[highplainsdem]

3. Malcolm Nance tweet -- he thinks this is an Israeli attack:

Link to tweet

[highplainsdem]

4. Tom Rogan tweet speculating Israel is striking in advance of a larger US strike:

Link to tweet

[oberliner]

5. Meanwhile MSNBC and CNN are showing specials about Apple and the Pope

Whatever happened to being a 24 hour news station?

Edit to Add: And Trump is tweeting about The Masters.

[highplainsdem]

6. And Fox has Levin interviewing Palin. But I think the lack of coverage is because this is

happening so fast and the story isn't sufficiently confirmed for networks to break into regular programming.

[oberliner]

7. Levin interviewing Palin - lord help us

I just wish when something big breaks that we could turn to MSNBC and CNN to get details and insights.

[highplainsdem]

12. Not yet. I keep channel surfing.

[highplainsdem]

8. AP tweet about Syrian news agency report on attack:

Link to tweet

[highplainsdem]

9. AFP: Syrian state media saying several people are dead or wounded after the attack

Link to tweet

[highplainsdem]

10. Fox News article:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/04/08/airstrikes-hit-syria-after-deadly-chemical-attack-state-tv-reports.html

[watoos]

11. So is this when

Russia and Iran come to Assad's aid and Saudi Arabia and the United States come to Israel's aid?

[highplainsdem]

13. Bloomberg article:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-09/explosions-reported-at-homs-airbase-early-monday-syria-update

[highplainsdem]

14. Reuters, via the Jerusalem Post:

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-denies-involvement-in-missile-attack-in-Syria-549213

[NickB79]

15. Jesus, the comments so far

Rabid pro-Trump warmongers!

[oberliner]

19. That's a very RW Israeli source

Try Ha'aretz for a much more left-leaning Israeli source.

[highplainsdem]

16. Politico article:

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/08/syria-missile-attack-508659

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. Syria and Russia accuse Israel of missile attack on Assad airbase

The Russian military said that two Israeli F-15 war planes carried out the strikes from Lebanese air space, and that Syrian air defence systems shot down five of eight missiles fired. Asked about the Russian statement, an Israeli military spokesman said he had no immediate comment.

Syrian state TV reported loud explosions near the T-4 airfield in the desert east of Homs in the early hours of Monday. State TV initially reported that the attack was “most likely” American, a claim the Pentagon has denied.

Video footage on social media in Lebanon showed aircraft or missiles flying low over the country, apparently heading east towards Syria. At least 14 people, mostly Iranians or members of Iran-backed groups, were killed, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

T-4, also known as Tiyas, halfway between Homs and the ancient ruins of Palmyra, has been used by the Russian air force, but it is unclear whether Russian aircraft were at the base when it came under attack.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/09/syrian-airbase-near-homs-hit-by-air-strikes-state-tv-says

[MosheFeingold]

20. Well, someone has to do it

I have no idea what the correct solution for Syria is.

I gather it's more of a tribal fight than anything; the nation state of Syria was a notion of French and British map makers when faced with the decline and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. It was worth a shot, I suppose.

Perhaps better would be breaking it apart into smaller pieces -- a Kurdish area, at least. This will anger Turkey, but I get the feeling they're a lost cause, anyway. Ergodan has visions of becoming Sultan.

One thing I believe Trump did, and it was smart if true (so some general must have though it up and sold it to Trump if true), was the removal the nuclear weapons from the airfield in Encirlik. Apparently, this happened under the cover of darkness.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. I have no idea either

Yes, it's mixed up in Great Power politics from 100 years ago, and the same today - with Russia wanting a Mediterranean port for its navy, the USA wanting a quiet neighbour for Israel and continued use of the Turkish airbases (I hadn't heard about the nuclear weapons - interesting), and so on.

[TheSmarterDog]

18. So, now we have a secret war going on in Syria?

[harun]

22. We've had a war in Syria for about a decade now, not so secret.

[TheSmarterDog]

23. But we're attacking targets w/o acknowledging the attacks

Either directly, or indirectly using Israel.

[harun]

24. True

[Mosby]

25. After Syria strike, Netanyahu says Israel will hit all those who seek to harm it

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will hit anyone who intends to harm the country, appearing to indirectly refer to a predawn missile strike on an air base in central Syria that reportedly killed 14 people, which has been blamed on Israel.

Israel refused to comment directly on the attack, after Russia and Syria blamed the Jewish state. NBC News quoted two US officials as saying that Israel had carried out the strike, adding that Washington was informed in advance.

-snip-

Construction Minister Yoav Galant, a former IDF major general and a member of Israel’s security cabinet, would not comment directly on the attack, but reiterated the “red lines” that Jerusalem considers grounds for launching strikes.

“In Syria many forces, from various bodies and coalitions, are operating. Each one says what it says and denies what it denies,” he told Israel Radio. “We have clear interests in Syria and we set red lines. We will not allow weapons to pass from Syria to Lebanon, and we will not allow the establishment of an Iranian base.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-syria-strike-netanyahu-says-israel-will-hit-all-those-who-seek-to-harm-us/

Four Iranian nationals were killed in the strike.